Vegan smoky chipotle aioli...

Used this in a "chick'n" burrito last night. This is very "Taco Bell"-ish, which is actually what I was going for.

• 1 cup Veganaise
• 2 tbsp brown mustard (I used smoky brown, which was nice)
  
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 tsp smoked chipotle powder (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Whisk all together. There you go...

Mexi-Pizza Nacho Sauce Topping

Mexi-Pizza is a favorite here (and there, and there, too). This typically takes the form of a pre-made pizza shell slathered with refried beans, onions, peppers, Field-Roast Chipotle sausage slices, etc. For a vegan topping, I came up with this nacho-y topping that won a seal of approval.

• 2 TBSP + 1tsp Wondra(R) gravy and sauce maker
• 2 TBSP Earth Balance
• 3 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 TSP granulated garlic
• 1/2 TSP smoked paprika
• 1/2 TSP cumin
• 1 TSP taco powder
• 1 CUP almond milk

Steps:

First, you make a roux...

Heat Earth Balance in a saucepot on med low until melted. Add in Wondra and yeast make a light roux. Start whisking in almond milk. Add in granulated garlic and other seasonings to taste. Just before pouring over pizza, whisk in an additional tsp of Wondra and pour over prepared pizza. This last bit of Wondra will "set up" in the heat of the oven, not in the sauce pan, thereby allowing you to pour it on, which is handy.

"Pizza Pi" Garlic White Sauce...

This is surprisingly good, and damn accurate as far as I can remember. The only thing I want to do differently next time is to add in some (read: a dozen or so) roasted mashed garlic cloves, and back off the granulated garlic a bit.

• 2 TBSP + 1tsp Wondra(R) gravy and sauce maker
• 2 TBSP Earth Balance
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 TSP granulated garlic
• 1 cup almond milk

Heat Earth Balance in a saucepot on med low until melted. Add in Wondra and yeast make a light roux. Start whisking in almond milk. Add in granulated garlic to taste. Just before pouring over pizza, whisk in an additional tsp of Wondra and pour over prepared pizza. This last bit of Wondra will "set up" in the heat of the oven, not in the sauce pan, thereby allowing you to pour it on, which is handy.

"Chicken" Curry with Cashews

Ok, all I'm saying is that I DREAM about this dish ever since we made it.

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup earth balance
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
* 3 tablespoons curry powder or curry paste
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
* 2-3 cups of diced seitan
* 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes (we used Rotel with cilantro and then didn't add the fresh cilantro)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 3/4 cup cashews
* 1 cup coconut milk (I used unsweetened vanilla Almond milk since Dave can't do the coconut)
* cooked basmati rice or jasmine rice, to accompany
* chopped fresh cilantro or mango chutney or raisins or cashews, to garnish


Heat earth balance in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add seitan and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes to allows the flavors to meld.

Just before serving: Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with coconut milk and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice with additional broken cashews and TRY not to moan out loud, I dare you!!!

I see a trend here, which only *I* have the power to change

I notice that when I go to post a recipe, it is usually a dessert and when I read the other postings, they're for a healthy, very veggie-focused dishes. = ) So, as I sat down to post yet another delicious dessert that I concocted for yesterday's Christmas feast, I decided to instead share the lovely Moroccan Stew that my friend Pam so generously made to accommodate her veggie-centric guests.

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed zucchini
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped carrot
* 1 cup cubed yams
* 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
* 1 cup veggie broth
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
* 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained


Heat oil in a large stew pot over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, onion, carrot, yams and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth and the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally. Add more broth as needed for your desired consistency. Serve over cous cous.

Enjoy!

Lemon Tahini Dressing

My friend, Jikan, currently the Tenzo at Great Vow Zen Monastery gave me the following recipe. This comes from Hollyhock Cooks, a wonderful cookbook from the Hollyhock Retreat Center in British Columbia, Canada.

This is a very nice dressing to top what Christie & I refer to as a 'Monk Bowl', as taken from a dish at Blossoming Lotus. Top your choice of grain (brown rice, qunioa, steamed barley...) with steamed or sauteed greens (yay, kale), some kind of legume (beans, tempeh, tofu would probably be good too), add other veggies if you want, and then a tasty dressing.

We've been playing with a few dressings. Our attempt to recreate the "Hollyhock", a nutritional yeast and tamari based dressing served at Great Vow hasn't been quite as successful, once I figure that out will post. Christie has made a great ginger one too, will see about getting that posted. Here's the lemon tahini batch that turned out very tasty.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 water
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juic
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin (optional)

Whirl all of the above up in a blender until smooth and enjoy.

We found at first that the garlic was VERY strong in this. Might be a vote for using roasted garlic instead. Once the garlic mellowed in the fridge a few days it was much nicer.

Snow Day Soup

What is Snow Day Soup? It is the soup you come up with out of the ingredients you have on hand during a snow day.

Yesterday I cleaned out the fridge in order to determine what was truly edible in there. Yes, I could walk to a market if I had to, but it really is best to stay inside with the cat where it is warm. That meant when I was pondering lunch today, and the lone pack of tempeh in the fridge, I decided I should investigate the freezer to see if there was back-up tempeh for more snow days. That's when I rediscovered the bag of legumes.

A few weeks ago Christie and I decided to make some soup using the back of "17 bean and barley" dried mix she'd picked up from TJs. Having had this idea the day of said soup making, we put the whole 16 ounce bag through the "quick soak" method (bring to a boil, cook for 20 minutes, let stand covered for an hour). As we set to making the soup we realized that 16 ounces of dried legumes was going to cook up into more soup than the pot would hold. We took half of the pre-soaked beans put them into a Ziploc and tossed into the freezer.

Today, Snow Day Number 3 in Portland (Snowmageddon 2008), I decided those legumes were just what I needed. Yes, a big o'pot of hearty soup is what every snow day needs. Today's batch, given the ingredients on hand, had something of a "Southwestern" flavor to it on account of the cumin, fire roasted corn & tomatoes, and smoked paprika. The only thing that would have improved it is a loaf of crusty, whole-grain bread. Since having that would have meant at least a 30 minute walk, one-way to Whole Foods (closest market), I had some toasted Nature Bake instead.

Snow Day Soup

• 8 ounces dried legumes (could be a mix or just one kind of legumes), pre-soaked
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced (good use for those ones that are getting a little limp)
  
• 5 stalks, plus heart of celery, sliced (ditto on the limp produce)
  
• celery greens from heart, sliced fine and set aside
• 1 medium onion, diced small
  
• 4 cloves garlic, diced fine
  
• 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes (diced would be fine, in fact what I'd usually use, but this is what I found, Muir Glen fire roasted kind)
• 1 cup steamed barley (this is already cooked)
  
• 1/2 cup frozen corn (there was the fire roasted kind from TJs in the freezer)
• 6 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano*
• 1/2 teaspoon "21 seasoning salute" (a salt-free savory blend from TJs)*
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast*
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin*
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked, sweet paprika*
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

* seasoning measurements are estimates

Add olive oil to a large pot. When oil is heated saute onions and garlic until they being to brown slightly. Add chopped carrots and celery (do not add celery leaves at this time) and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes longer. Pour in water and pre-soaked legumes. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables and legumes are tender. Add crushed tomatoes, barley, frozen corn, celery leaves, and seasonings. Let simmer an additional 20 minutes to let flavors combine before serving.

Makes approximately 7 quarts.

No, I don't really have a knack for making soup in small batches. I do try to put the extra into 2 quart mason jars and either eat or freeze right away.